(Photo credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images)
Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt exited Wednesday's game between the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis after he was struck in the face by a line drive in the seventh inning.
Wendelstedt, 53, collapsed on the ground behind first base after being hit by a foul liner off the bat of Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor. The 28-year veteran was coherent and speaking, according to crew chief Todd Tichenor, and underwent concussion protocol.
After staying on the ground for a few moments as Twins medical staff tended to him, Wendelstedt rose and slowly walked off the field under his own power while holding a towel against the left side of his head.
'Hopefully it's just some stitches is what I'm thinking,' Tichenor told a pool reporter after the Twins' 4-3 win.
Major League Baseball said in a statement that Wendelstedt was undergoing additional tests, adding that the league is 'encouraged that he was in good spirits when he was in touch with our medical staff.'
--Field Level Media
